Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Level H - Unit 6

abortive

(adj.) failing to accomplish an intended aim or purpose; only partially or imperfectly developed
syn: miscarried
ant: consummated

bruit

to spread news, reports, or unsubstantiated rumors
syn: blazon
ant: cover up

contumelious

(adj.) insolent or rude in speech or behavior; insultingly abusive; humiliating
syn: vituperative
ant: commendatory

dictum

(n.) a short saying; an authoritative statement
syn: maxim

ensconce

(v.) to settle comfortably and firmly in position; to put or hide in a safe place
syn: lodge
ant: oust

iconoclastic

(adj.) attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions

in medias res

(adv.) in or into the middle of a plot; into the middle of things

internecine

(adj.) mutually destructive; characterized by great slaughter and bloodshed
syn: murderous
ant: peaceful

maladroit

(adj.) lacking skill or dexterity; lacking tact, perception, or judgment
syn: inept
ant: dexterous

maudlin

(adj.) excessively or effusively sentimental
syn: mushy

modulate

(v.) to change or vary the intensity or pitch; to temper or soften; to regulate, adjust
syn: adapt

portentous

(adj.) foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self-consciously weighty, pompous
syn: ominous
ant: encouraging

prescience

(n.) knowledge of events or actions before they happen; foresight
syn: foreknowledge
ant: hindsight

quid pro quo

(n.) something given in exchange or return for something else
syn: trade

salubrious

(adj.) conducive to health or well-being; wholesome
syn: healthy
ant: harmful

saturnalian

(adj.) characterized by riotous or unrestrained revelry or licentiousness
syn: debauched
ant: decorous

touchstone

(n.) a means of testing worth or genuineness
syn: benchmark

traumatic

(adj.) so shocking to the emotions as to cause lasting and substantial psychological damage
syn: jolting
ant: comforting

vitiate

to weaken, debase, or corrupt; to impair the quality or value of
syn: degrade
ant: purify

waggish

(adj.) fond of making jokes; characteristic of a joker; playfully humorous or droll
syn: whimsical
ant: serious